Mikaela Shiffrin Workout and Diet
Olympic Skier
Mikaela Shiffrin was born in Vail, Colorado, and spent a few years in New Hampshire and Vermont. Both her parents are former ski racers. Shiffrin began skiing when she was 2, and was winning competitions from a young age. At 14, she won her first major, and she has gone on to win 100 titles so far, including 2 gold Olympic medals, 5 Overall World Cup Championships and 8 World Cups for slalom, a record for alpine skiing for both men and women. She is the youngest slalom Olympic gold medalist in history and is considered to be one of the greatest skiers of all time. She has many endorsement deals, including with Barilla pasta, Adidas, Grubhub, and Atomic skis. Shiffrin has millions of followers on social media. She is 5 feet, 7 inches tall and weighs about 140 lbs.
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Mikaela Shiffrin’s Diet
Diet Summary
Shiffrin is young and active. She burns through a lot of calories every day, about 3,000, and a lot of those calories come from pasta. That said, she makes sure to balance out all the carbs with meat and veggies. Typical snacks include nuts, seeds, and dried mango, all easy to carry on the slopes. Water is also important, and she drinks plenty to stay hydrated.
Estimated Macros
Medium Fat
Medium-High Carb
Medium Protein
Diet Details
Pass the Pasta Bowl
Shiffrin loves her pasta and has an endorsement deal with Barilla. She likes their veggie line that includes a serving of veg and their ProteinPLUS because it includes not only protein but also B vitamins and fiber.
Balanced Meals
Shiffrin’s attitude toward eating is balance. While she eats a healthy amount of pasta, she also includes salads, steamed veggies, and animal protein at lunch and dinner.
Smart Snacking
Shiffrin carries nuts, seeds, and dried mango for convenient, no-fuss snacking.
Dial in on Dessert
Shiffrin also loves dessert, but she tries not to eat it every day. Her top pick for a treat: chocolate.
What to Eat
- Sufficient calories for your needs
- Everything in moderation
- Pasta
- Chicken
- Steak
- Lean animal protein
- Salads
- Veggies
- Fresh fruit
- Dried mangoes
- Nuts
- Seeds
- Chocolate
- Water
What to Avoid
- Not eating enough
- Too many sweets
- Junk food
- Empty-calorie foods
- Chemicals
- Artificial ingredients
Shiffrin on carbs
‘I really rely on carbs because I expend a lot of energy.’
Shiffrin on pasta
‘Pasta is my superfood!’
Shiffrin on her diet
‘My whole thing is simple, well-balanced meals.’
Shiffrin on sweets
‘I really like dessert [but] I try not to eat dessert every day.’
Mikaela Shiffrin’s Workout Routine
Workout Routine
It Runs in the Fam
Shiffrin comes from a family of athletes. Not only were both of her parents competitive racers, her uncle was one too, and her older brother is also a ski racer.
Multidisciplinary Miss
Shiffrin competes in 5 different ski events, extremely unusual for the sport.
Find Balance
To help Shiffrin avoid injury, her father did extensive research into female body mechanics, as studies show that women are more prone to knee injuries.
Log It
Shiffrin keeps meticulous records not only of her workouts but also her level of exhaustion. A 10 means she is about to pass out, a 1 means relaxed and rested. Her workouts are most frequently close to 10. To be sure she remembers to record her data, she sets multiple alarms.
Daily Dose
Shiffrin is usually on the mountainside by 7:30 or 8 every day in season. She will spend 2-5 hours skiing, then hit the gym in the afternoon.
No Off-Season
Even when she’s not skiing, Shiffrin does two 90 min workouts a day 5 days a week to keep in peak conditioning.
Mixed Approach
Shiffrin hits the gym most days. Her routine varies. It might be sled push/pulls, med ball throws, or slide board workouts.
Recovery Matters
Between her AM ski session and her PM gym sesh, Shiffrin takes a nap, something she considers essential to her training.
Exercise Style
A Mikaela Shiffrin Routine According to Sports Illustrated
- Core warm ups: 30 min
- Ski: 2-5 hrs/day
- Nap for recovery
- Gym workouts
- Cardio
- Strength
- Mobility
- Review film/data
Shiffrin on fitness
‘Sport is what you make it. Forget what you’ve been told and play YOUR way.’
Shiffrin on logging her workouts & energy levels
‘More than anything, it’s confirmation with what we’re theorizing.’
Shiffrin on racing
‘Every single time, I’m like, “What am I doing? Why am I here?”’
Mikaela Shiffrin’s Supplements
Plant-Based Protein
Shiffrin likes Barilla’s protein+ pasta that contains 17 g of plant-based protein from non-GMO peas, chickpeas and lentils, 4 g of fiber, as well as several B vitamins.
B Vitamins
Shiffrin likes Barilla’s protein+ pasta that contains several B vitamins.
Fiber
Shiffrin likes Barilla’s protein+ pasta that contains 4 g of fiber.
Melatonin
Shiffrin endorses the brand Usana. Although she does not specify which supplements she takes, they offer a broad range, including melatonin.
Probiotics
Shiffrin endorses the brand Usana. Although she does not specify which supplements she takes, they offer a broad range, including probiotics.
Liver-supporting Detox
Shiffrin endorses the brand Usana. Although she does not specify which supplements she takes, they offer a broad range, including liver-supporting detox.
Mikaela Shiffrin’s Lifestyle
Secret Weapon: Sleep
Shiffrin loves her sleep. It does everything for her to help recover both physically and mentally. She takes a nap every afternoon as her recovery from skiing, before hitting the gym.
Up & At ‘Em
In season, Shiffrin is up between 5-6 am. She has a quick breakfast, does some warm-ups and then hits the slopes by 8.
Data Obsessed
Shiffrin reviews her practices and race times closely. She also maintains a Google doc where she grades her physical condition.
Giving Props
Shiffrin credits Lindsey Vonn for paving the way for women’s skiing. Growing up, Shiffrin idolized skiers Bode Miller and Janica Kostelic
Musical Miss
Shiffrin plays piano and guitar, and uses music to help her focus before a race. Her taste is varied, and runs the gamut from Taylor Swift to classical piano.
Tragic Loss
Shiffrin’s father died unexpectedly at age 65 in 2020 due to a fall. Shiffrin was so devastated, she contemplated quitting skiing.
Unique Pets
Winners at the World Cup slalom race in Finland win a reindeer. Shiffrin currently has 8, including one named Rudolph. One more win and she’ll have enough to pull Santa’s sleigh.
Shiffrin on sleep
‘Sleeping is my meditation.’
Shiffrin on the importance of sleep
‘It’s the only time you can recover, physically and emotionally, at the same time.’
Shiffrin on her parents
‘They have been my #1 coaches and my #1 guides.’
Shiffrin on skier Lindsey Vonn
‘[Lindsey’s impact] has allowed me to be here now.’
Shiffrin’s caution to aspiring athletes
‘Anything you do — probably in life but definitely in sport — you have to go into it knowing that you’re going to fail.’
Shiffrin’s advice to aspiring athletes
‘Individuality is your most important asset.’
Shiffrin on her records
‘They’re not untouchable. Someone’s going to reset those again.’
Recommended Products
Barilla Pasta
Adidas
Usana Nutrition & Skincare
Atomic Skis
Kappa Apparel
Bose
Pirelli Tires
Longines Watches
